I have a friend who has many issues with her health that I feel could be helped tremendously if she eliminated wheat (and sugar) products. I have seen many people on here that talk of what has improved in their lives by eliminating wheat...... It would be easier to give her a "personal experience list" from here than to search each post about it. Those who have kicked the habit.... could you list your improvements.. maybe this will help her take that big step. Who knows... it might even inspire me.

Thank you to all.....

Vicki

__________________GET MAD GET IT DONE!!!"THE FIRST STEP TO GETTING ANYWHERE IS DECIDING YOU'RE NO LONGER WILLING TO STAY WHERE YOU ARE"!!! WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT QUITTING---REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED

For me, the biggest difference might be "borderline TMI", but I'll bet many of us can relate: I am not gassy anymore! Just to demonstrate how bad it was, let e tell you that I have run dogs out of rooms before with my noxious fumes. Thats disgusting, because dogs usually like gross stuff. Of course, I thought the way I felt before was normal. I truly didn't know I could feel better. I was also having a lot of heartburn. So anyway, that's the biggest thing for me- I don't feel horrible in my guts anymore and I don't "offend".

Other nice changes are:
My skin is glowing- all over my body. Not just my face. I was looking dull and old.
I am losing weight- very slowly- but I am losing!
I am not making myself stay hungry in order to achieve all this!

I can't wait to see what everyone else posts. I love threads like this.

For Me I had IBS for Years! Since 1993. When I gave up wheat and grains etc I almost immediatly felt a Lot better. No more of the awful bloating, stomach cramps and running to the bathroom!
My acid reflux is Way better too, I still take dexilant for it But when I miss a day or two I don't get that awful stomach ache and heartburn like I used to.

Of course the weight loss but the very first thing I noticed as the absence of "Brain Fog". I simply accepted that was how one always felt after eating a big bowl of pasta. And by the time it passed I was hungry again.

__________________
________________________________
Ralph
"Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer."
Denis Waitley

While cutting out wheat completely hasn't helped much with brain fog or IBS, for me it has reduced my general inflammation - my joints don't ache as much and my seasonal allergies are less severe. Also, I haven't had a sinus infection this year. It is enough to keep me off the grain.

Reduced IBS symptoms, reduced gas reduced allergy symptoms, no more weird pain in my feet, No more edema, fewer sinus/ear infections, clearer skin, no more skin rashes, more energy/no brain fog. These were from going gluten free last year, and when I went lc last fall there were more improvements. It seems like there is more, but I can't remember now.

No acne! Less mood swings and hunger. More energy. No aching joints anymore. I basically had massive systemic inflammation from grains and sugar. Getting rid of both has diminished almost every immune symptom I was experiencing. Simply amazing

Knee pain. If your friend suffers from any joint pain due to inflammation the elimination of wheat and all gluten will bring quick results. I went from chronic knee pain to zero in about a week. I started noticing the pain lessen in 3 days. It was amazing, and was the reason I got on board with the whole lc thing.
There is one other major thing I have noticed. Chronic tinnitis. Y'know that ringing in the ear. I don't know if it's wheat or something else healthy I am doing, but it's way down. This is another blessing of this new healthy lifestyle.

I have less joint pain, more mental acuity ( I had no focus before) better skin, nails, and hair, and TMI alert: I now have regular monthly mentural cycles as opposed to going six to eight months between and getting horrible migraines when I did have a period.

I lost the wheat belly almost over night without actually losing pounds at that stage. Acid reflux that I got occasionally gone. The strange asthmatic like cough I would get after some really carb heavy meals gone. Joint pains greatly reduced,hope the magnesium will make the rest go away. I don't get out of breath that easily running for a bus. I look younger than my late forties. As a byproduct and after buying the new items like coconut oil etc my grocery bill has gone down as bread is my trigger food for overeating.

No heartburn - used to wake up at night choking on bile and thinking I was going to die. Gone now!

Fewer headaches - I'm attributing it to the elimination of wheat, though like a PP mentioned it could be due to other healthy behaviors.

Less hunger - I used to pack an enormous lunch bag when I was on "heart healthy" diets. I was ravenous by 10:00 AM and then again at 3:00. I had to pack a lunch plus multiple snacks. Now I just have a regular lunch and I'm fine until dinner.

Don't know if it is wheat or sugar, but biggest single noticeable difference is gas. Of course the "belly" is also becoming history as well, but I used to be constantly embarassed by the gas. I had concluded that I had become an "old fart". Now I know age was not the problem.

__________________
One LC Day at a time.
First LC 1964.
Restart 12/31/2013
250-227-195

No more wheat belly (looking 6 months pregnant (9 after a pasta meal).
No more excess gasssss from eating anything with wheat in it.
No more heartburn.
No more tear-y days. Yes, wheat made me depressed. I did not know this.
No more intense cravings for wheat products (bread, gravy, cookies cakes etc)
No more hip pain in my sleep. Generally less ache-y all over.
Way less wheezing from asthma and less allergies in general.
No more itchy skin.
Clear eyes.

How do I know this? If I eat wheat now (like pizza or wheat bread sandwich) two or more of the above issues comes back almost immediately. The bloated gut, the depression and a feeling anxiety, stuffy nose, upset bowels. No kidding.

Initially, It was very hard to give it up, I felt awful and really upset for days until it was out of my system. I think it took about six weeks to 'not care' anymore. In the interim I made flax bread, almond bread etc... looking for a substitute. Well there really is no substitute for wheat, but after a few weeks, I didn't care anymore. I felt I had a wheat 'addiction', and apparently I did. It is in everything! I've become an avid label reader. It was almost as bad as giving up cigarettes but well worth it!

No acne! Less mood swings and hunger. More energy. No aching joints anymore. I basically had massive systemic inflammation from grains and sugar. Getting rid of both has diminished almost every immune symptom I was experiencing. Simply amazing

I am sure that with the amount of sugar and grains I eat........ wow...... that alot of my pains are associated in a large degree to that fact and my friend.... she is just as bad.. no worse than me. How long before you noticed a substantual difference???

Thanks

Vicki

__________________GET MAD GET IT DONE!!!"THE FIRST STEP TO GETTING ANYWHERE IS DECIDING YOU'RE NO LONGER WILLING TO STAY WHERE YOU ARE"!!! WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT QUITTING---REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED

I had AWFUL heartburn which disappeared the instant I stopped eating wheat. It was like a miracle.

Much better skin.

My stomach finally lost weight.

No more gas.

I stopped eating all wheat products, even low-carb tortillas. Every now and then I'll buy lower-carb crackers, but only ones made from non-wheat, like sesame. It's crazy how inflammatory wheat is, and I never knew until I stopped eating it.

__________________
Vilya - dog trainer and uber-geek.
Reached the beautiful town of ONEDERLAND on 7/1/2012!
Next goal: 185, to hit that Century Club mark. - ACHIEVED!! 11/4/2012
6/22/13: the 100 lb. loss only lasted a few weeks, and I've since regained some of the weight. Stats updated to reflect this.

Heartburn and body aches are pretty much gone. I used to be in pain every single night, I haven't had heartburn in weeks. It has been wonderful.
My sister who is not a low carber, decided to go gluten free about 4 months ago. She said it was the best thing she ever did. She has more energy and she never feels bloated. I read somewhere recently that 90% of people have wheat allergies and some people get horrible side effects from it and some minor side effects that they don't even realize the wheat is causing it.

Ditto on the heart burn thing for me. Although I DO have the occasional piece of Trader Joe's sprouted wheat bread---4 NCs a slice, w/no ill effects whatsoever.
However, I used to be the quintessential bread head, ate it w/everything. So the few slices I have a month now are a vast improvement.

I think the heart burn thing is not only from leaving wheat behind for the better part, but all starches, AND sugar. Forever it seems folks have always said that heart burn comes from spicy foods. Seems this may be another food myth up for debunking. I LOVE spicy foods, and always thought that was the cause of my heart burn. Now I still add plenty of hot sauces and hot spices to my LC menu, but NO heart burn.

OTOH, I had heart burn frequently when I was a carb head. One can only draw the conclusion that heart burn is mostly caused by carbs, not spicy foods.

My seborrheic Dermatitis on skin and scalp has cleared up. greatly reduced IBS symptoms and flare ups. No more joint pain ans inflammation. I have also developed an allergy to dairy so I no longer eat dairy either. Eliminating both has done wonders for my health overall!

__________________
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me Phil 4:13

Mini Goal: 250 met in May
Mini Goal: 200
Mini goal #2: For my current wardrobe to be too big (26-28) May hit size 22-24!
Next Goal: size 16-18 by BDAY in March
Walk 3 days a week

If you are telling yourself: "Wheat can't be that bad, I could never give it up, not even for a few weeks" you probably have a wheat addiction. If you can give it up for a few weeks as an experiment, you will be able to notice a marked difference if you have a wheat issue/allergy.

I thought I had removed all the wheat from my diet but would on occasion experience a bit of heart burn and thought, that was just the way it was for me. It was certainly a massive improvement over my health prior to getting wheat out.

I did however discover that wheat was still present sometimes in my food without me being aware of it. It was in things like sausage, and soy sauce. Once I was really vigilant about wheat in even the smallest quantity, all my tummy troubles went away.

In May, I went on a 16 day vacation and although I don't normally drink beer, I decided I would indulge with 1 when I wanted and low and behold, within 1/2 hour of consuming one, the stomach ache reappeared. It happened each and every time... with food and without food (all very l/c). It is definitely the wheat in beer.

So a bit more of the 'aversion therapy' and I can say that I am done with beer. Wheat is much too hard on my digestive system and just not worth it. For further information on the how and why of the wheat issue, I suggest reading Wheat Belly by Dr. W. Davis.

__________________Cathy
Original start - Feb. 2000 180/125

"The energy content of food (calories) matters, but it is less important than the metabolic effect of food on our body." Dr. P. Attia

I've been eating LC since May 22nd, so not all that long but I can tell you that I have noticed some awesome changes (besides weight loss)!

-my sleep is deeper and my dreams are more vivid
-i would get horrible stomach aches. I haven't had a single one since I started LC'ing.
-bloat is gone.
-hair/skin/nails are stronger now
-i just feel better all over..it's hard to describe.